The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) today initiated a staff inquiry into the recent outages and restrictions of natural gas and electricity service in Texas and other Western states.

The inquiry will seek to identify the causes of the disruptions and to identify any appropriate actions for preventing their recurrence. This is not an enforcement investigation. Any decisions on whether to initiate enforcement investigations will be made at a later time.

The Commission directed staff to report back on its findings and recommendations as soon as practicable.